GK, HN break ground for Village of Peace in Maguindanao

By: Marlyn Importante

Gawad Kalinga and social enterprise Human Nature on July 25, 2016 broke ground for GK Village of Peace in Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao. Rajah Buayan is a 6th class municipality in Maguindanao which belongs to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The area was once recognized as a danger zone but soon a GK Village of Peace will rise to represent solidarity.

“GK is all about the power of presence, and no one knows this lesson more than Human Nature, whose business model is inspired by GK,” said GK Corporate Shared Services Head Issa Cuevas-Santos.

Human Nature Co-Founder Dylan Wilk and Creative Director Camille Meloto also attended the groundbreaking ceremony of GK Village of Peace. Wilk was also one of the frontliners in building the first GK village in ARMM located at Brgy. Poblacion, Datu Paglas, Maguindanao. During the event, Wilk quoted Noel Griño, GK Area Coordinator in South Central Mindanao, “If being brave means you do not feel fear, then I am not brave. But what I know is that my love for God and my faith in Him is much, much larger than my fear. We should not be afraid because this is where God sent us.” The groundwork in the province started in 2003 and today, there are 12 brightly colored GK communities in Maguindanao alone with 780 homeowners.

Furthermore, Human Nature will raise funds for 20 homes involving their dealers, members, branches, partners, and employees by encouraging them to donate 100% of the profits from Bug Shield, a natural citronella insect repellent towards the village.

“HN dealers are very excited in being part of this campaign. They are even giving up their dealer discounts and buying the bug shield at full SRP just to be able to contribute as well,” Human Nature Marketing Head Wowie Meloto shared.

HN Goodness Rising Campaign

When Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated the Philippines in 2013, Human Nature is one of the first companies who responded to Gawad Kalinga's call to help the Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Through their Goodness Rising Campaign they were able to raise funds for 100 homes in Ormoc, Leyte and 20 houses in Negros Occidental.

This year, Human Nature revives Goodness Rising in providing 50 scholarships to a new batch of future wealth creators at School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) for this coming SY 2016-2017. SEED is a 2-year program that aims to train the next generation to revolutionize the agricultural industry, making it globally competitive without leaving the poor behind.

They also supported the Kusina ng Kalinga program. In 2015, they raised 7,143 meals together with their local brands and artist’s band. When we activated the Operation Walang Iwanan: El Niño, they responded to our call to care for the farmers by making sure that their families do not go hungry.